Bird strike leaves hole in wing of Southwest Airlines plane

Plane collided with bird while travelling to Baltimore from San Antonio

Witness said he heard a rumbling noise and saw the plane 'on fire'

Plane landed safely in Baltimore and was removed from service for repairs

By Chris Kitching for MailOnline

The Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 carrying 142 passengers, plus crew, from San Antonio to Baltimore was forced to make an emergency landing after a bird strike reportedly left a hole in one of the plane's wings.

A witness on the ground said: ‘It rumbled my house, I know that much. [The plane] was low and she was on fire. She had flames coming from underneath and on the sides.

‘She was burning. It sounded like a carburettor, a racing car misfiring, sputtering… that’s what it sounded like and it rocked the house once she went over top.’